The Power of Family
by piper5381
Summary: After saving Olympus and marrying Meg, a new adventure starts...parenthood! With their daughter, Cassia, everything was perfect, but that perfection ended when they thought there daughter was killed by a monster at age six. Five years later, they learn she is alive with no memory. Can Cassi get over her fear of getting close to others and learn that her family still loves her?


_ So, I am pretty sure most of you already know the tale of Hercules. The story of his strength, how he met his true love, how he put a stop to Hades evil plan…he showed that to become a true hero, it mattered not of the fame and glory you had, but of the strength you had in your heart. It's a great story that all should hear, but…the story didn't exactly end after he saved Olympus. Oh no, there is so much more. What else happened, you ask? Well, after deciding to stay on earth with Meg, the two began to live together in his lush villa in Thebes, his strong self still protecting the people with the help of Phil and Pegasus while Meg picked up a job at a very well-renowned Pottery Shop. Soon after, the two became happily married, and about a year after that? Well, you see, that's where I come in._

_ Hi. My name is Cassia, but everyone just calls me Cassi, and I am the daughter of Hercules and Meg. No amount of training could have prepared him or my Mom for the adventures of parenthood, especially with a child who, though a spitting image of her Mother, carried her Father's strength. Oh yes, though Dad is a lot stronger than me, I can definitely hold my own strength wise. This led to a very interesting childhood, but despite its occasional crazy moments, we were a very happy family…extremely close. Nothing could tear us apart. Well…at least that's what we thought. Our happy story came to a quick halt when I was six. On this particular day, we were sailing on the ocean, getting away from the busy city life when out of nowhere, a monster from the sea attacked. To make a long story short, my Father defeated it, but not before the monster destroyed our ship. My Mom and I were on Pegasus, and right before my Dad gave the final blow, a tentacle had crept up and stole me from my Mother's arms, bringing me down into the sea. As the monster died, my Father tried to save me, but, according to him, the sea had darkened so much he could not see, and in the end, I was gone. Everyone thought I was dead, but, and don't ask me how, I ended up washing ashore quite far from Thebes. When I awoke, you would have thought I could just find home, but…I couldn't remember where home was, or who I belonged to…Five years later, I was still just as lost…and this…this is where the story begins…_

Chapter One: The Journey Begins

"Either we are getting really good at what we do, or they're really just too dumb to take notice."

Hidden in an empty alley, a petite eleven-year-old female fingered through a small, tattered leather pouch, her violet colored eyes scanning over the bits of money that she had collected over the course of the morning.

"Not quite as good as yesterday, but there is at least one more ship leaving the dock soon. I'm sure we can snatch up a bit more money while everyone is leaving. The place will be crowded, so we should have no issues."

Looking to her side, she locked gazes with a blue eyed black cat, one she called Mia. She had found her wandering the streets a few years back and they have been friends ever since. To be honest, Mia was her only friend…not that she minded that though. She wasn't very good with people…

Reaching out, she gently scratched at Mia's head, hitting that special little spot right behind her ear, but this feline, however, was less than excited regardless of the attention she was getting, giving the girl a scolding like meow at her recent comment.

"Oh, don't give me that look." The girl muttered. "Do you honestly think I _like_ stealing?"

Leaning back against the stone wall, she brought her knees to her chest, resting her arms upon them, letting out a small sigh as she looked up at the clear, blue sky.

"You know I hate it, but what choice do we have? We need to survive, and if we ever want to get off this island…"

Her mind tangled with the thoughts of leaving. That was the biggest reason for her recent thieving sprees. She honestly hated stooping that low, but she was desperate. Food and some bits of clothing weren't that hard to get, but enough money to get on the ship and leave the place? That was much harder, but leaving the island she had been on for the last five years was needed. She just had to go…she had to be free. Where exactly she would go, she wasn't sure, but anywhere was better than where she was now.

"_Meow…_"

The soft call broke the child from her thoughts, a gentle nudge against her leg following the sound. With a half-smile, she peeked back down and reached over and carefully lifted her pet, holding it close to her chest and nuzzling at her soft fur.

"Believe me, I wish we didn't have to resort to stealing, but with no other support, no home…no…family…"

That thought tugged at her heart a bit as it swam through her mind. At this point, she was used to and accepting of the fact that she was an orphan and not wanted, but once in a while, it would really get to her. Sometimes it would be from seeing other children happy with their families, and other times, dreams would tear at her emotions…dreams of a pair of arms hugging her tightly, or of a soft voice gently singing to her…things that seemed so familiar, yet her memory could not pin point why.

Her memory. Yet another thing robbed of her. She had no recollection of who she was. Everything that happened before she awoke on the shores of this island was gone, hidden somewhere in the depths of her mind…hidden in a place she could not reach. For the longest time, she would spend nights thinking hard and trying to remember, but nothing came. She had no idea who she truly was or where she came from. The only reason she knew her possible name and age was because of a locket that was with her when she woke up; a golden heart with a keyhole on the back, and on the front, inscribed words that she had read over a million times.

"_To our dearest Cassia on your sixth birthday. We love you very much. Mom and Dad._"

Now, with something like that on hand, you would think that she would know how deeply loved she was, but with so many unanswered questions and bad experiences…

"_They didn't_…"

Cassi hugged her cat even closer as she thought this, loneliness now being replaced with anger and hurt. No, her parents never loved her. If they did, she wouldn't be where she was. If they did, she would still be with them and not in a place with people who stayed away from her all because…

In one quick swift movement, her fist swung to the side and hit the stone wall behind her, causing the entirety of it to shake and rumble, a good sized indentation left in the area that she hit when she pulled away. This was why everyone stayed back. This was why she was not liked. For a girl of only eleven, she was unnaturally strong. She could lift and move things five times her weight. One would think that was a pretty good thing to have, right? And in most cases, it was…but with her, in her mind, it was a burden. Something she felt she was cursed with…After all, it was something that hurt a few people during an incident where she was only trying to help. This strength was the reason she stayed away from people, refusing to make any physical contact with anyone at all.

"You know what…no…get a grip, Cassi…" she muttered softly. Over thinking about past events and how much she hated her life seriously played with her mind and her heart, and right now, she couldn't have that. Right now, she needed to stay focused, especially if she was about to steal some more money from oblivious travelers.

"Speaking of…" she said as that thought passed through her. "The boat will be leaving soon, so we best get a move on before we miss our chance."

So with that in mind, she stood up, holding Mia in one hand as the other flipped up the black hood of her cloak, covering her deep brown locks and most of her face. After placing Mia on her shoulder, she slipped the small, leather pouch full of coins into her tan messenger bag slung around her and brushed off a few pieces of dirt from her cloth blue dress before taking off. She was hoping for some good finds today and silently prayed that most of the travelers paid no mind just like the ones from this morning.

"_Let's see…what do we have today…_"

Slinking through the crowd of people working their way on the ship, she began searching for any possible loose pouches, open bags…anything that was easily accessible. It had taken her a few minutes, but eventually she found an opening.

"Look there, Mia." She whispered. "See that round guy over there, the one carrying that wooden crate? There's a pouch hanging from his belt. We should be able to snag that, and even if he notices, his hands are full, and with it being so crowded, we would be long gone by the time he put it down. Should be an easy steal."

Sneaking her way over, she took care to remain somewhat behind the man. When she was close enough, she checked to make sure no one was really watching, and when all was clear, reached out to grab it. Before she could, however, he turned around, causing her to jump out of sight. She watched for a moment as the man spoke to someone, and when he started walking again, she snuck right back up, inching in closer and closer until he was just in arms reach. Not wanting to risk him turning again, she quickly grabbed the pouch and ran, sinking into the crowd and behind some wooden crate.

"And she's off to a good start!" she said with a smirk as she looked through the pouch. Seven coins were inside. Not a bad find for her first shot. "Way too easy. Let's try another!"

Peeking from behind the crate, she eyed the crowd until and older lady caught her attention. On her was a bag left nice and open. There _had_ to be something in there. Looking at her furry friend still on her shoulder, she gave her a little wink and nodded towards the woman.

"This is all you, Mia. You know what to do."

After giving another scolding like meow at the dislike of this idea, she jumped from her owner's shoulder and headed towards the woman. When she was close enough, she began nuzzling the woman's leg, meowing sweetly and batting those kitty eyes for attention. This, of course, worked easily on the target, the woman placing her bag down beside her and kneeling to pet the creature. With this woman distracted, Cassi snuck up from behind, peeking inside the bag.

"_Lucky again!_"

Right on top sat a green pouch, and with ease, she slipped her hand in and out, snagging the item before sneaking away. When she was safely behind the crate again, she signaled Mia to return, the cat catching this motion and slinking away.

"Nicely played." She whispered. "This one's got ten coins in it. We're really doing good today. Let's keep looking! Who knows what we can get if this luck keeps up!"

Peering over again, she scanned to find the right victim, waiting a good while to find the perfect one. Eventually, a very…interesting sight caught her eyes. Narrowing them to make sure she was seeing correctly, she scooped Mia up so she could see, too.

"Is it me….or is that a goat butt with some sort of belt on it…And with a money pouch hanging off, too…."

Even Mia cocked her head at this, her tiny ears flicking as she watched.

"Who would tie a belt with a money pouch hanging on it to a goat…" she asked softly. It was a bit of a stupid move. Goats themselves could be pretty stupid, and with money hanging so freely from it...

"I mean, it might not be money, but it sure looks like a pouch that carries it. Yeah, people really are just getting dumber. Come on, this will be another easy one." 

Sneaking back from behind the crate, she made her way over to the animal. She didn't even try to be too sneaky about it. It was just a goat. The only thing she did check was to make sure no one was around or watching, and when the opportune moment came, she snatched the pouch right off.

"Easy as-"

"Hey! What do you think you are doing!?"

Jumping, she thought another had spotted her, but instead, the one yelling at her was none other than…the goat. Well, sort of…more like half goat, maybe? Butt of a goat but body of a human…ish….thing. Yeah, she wasn't entirely sure what it was.

"Thief! That's my money!"

Cassi, feeling up for a little fun, simply smirked and tossed the bag up and down in the air.

"What's the matter, goat boy? This yours?"

"Of course it's mine you idiot!" he shouted. "Hand that back!"

"Or what?"

"I will beat you to a pulp!"

Cassi simply snickered.

"Sure you will. You and what army? You want it? Then come and get it, shorty!"

And with that, she shot off, running through the crowd to an escape.

"What?! Shorty? Why you little…get back here! When I get my hands on you you're dead!"

Cassi simply laughed at this as she ran, slipping through people and doing her best to make the route for goat boy to follow near impossible.

"Looks like we can have some fun, Mia!" she said to the now clinging cat. "Sure, I like easy steals, but that can get boring sometimes. It's been awhile since we've had a good chase!"

After speeding through the crowd, she made her way back to the alley, slowing down once she was there. Peeking behind her, she found that he was nowhere in sight, leaving the little female to smile.

"See, Mia? Look at that. Knew we would lose short stuff. Probably would never catch up if he tried. He's way too- Ah!"

Half way through her sentence, she had turned around again and saw yet another unexpected thing. A large white horse standing right in front of her…a horse with...wings? Being taken off guard, she tripped over backwards thanks to a rock and fell down.

"Thought you could get away, did you?"

It was the voice of the goat boy, his stubby little self hopping off of the horses back and making his way towards the fallen girl. "You thought you won this one, but wrong kid! Now I am going to take my money back and give you a lesson…you…never…"

Sitting up, Cassi mumbled a curse, rubbing at the newly formed bump on her head.

"Ouch…"

Mia, though a little shaky from the fall, protectively jumped right in front of her owner and hissed at the strangers, her claws bared and ready to fight if she had to.

"It's ok, Mia." She told her. "I wouldn't worry about it. There's nothing much goat boy can do anyways. Look at his size."

Peering over at the stranger, she shot him a half bored glare.

"You gonna finish your little goat rant?"

The stranger said nothing, his words still a little tied up as he stared at the other. It was a good minute or two after did he finally speak. Reaching out, he poked at his horse companion, his eyes still not leaving the girl.

"Are…you seeing what I am seeing?"

The horse, who was already staring as well, simply snuffed through its nose, making its way over, sniffing at the female.

"Hey! Back off! What do you think you are doing?"

She eyed the creature with an all too familiar gaze to the beast. Though the look was not a good one, the horse paid no mind to it, recognizing the glare immediately and happily neighing and licking at the girl's face upon the realization of who she was.

"Hey hey hey!" She said, shooting right up. "What is your issue? Here, take your stupid money. I don't want it."

After tossing it back in their direction, she turned to walk off.

The horse, clearly confused at the action, looked over at the halfing, who quickly spoke up when she began walking away.

"Hold on a second! Don't go!"

"Yeah no…I'm leaving…"

"Seriously, let's talk for a second!"

"No way! I don't want to talk to you. And would you guys quit staring at me like that? I'm not _that _weird looking. You're the one with a goat butt and a winged horse."

"But-"

"Later."

"Cassia, wait!"

Cassi stopped in her footsteps, her brows furrowing slightly as she turned to face the others again.

"And…how do you know my name?"

The halfing walked a little closer, his gaze a mix of confusion and shock.

"You're really…Cassia?"

"Uh…yeah. What, did you hear my name around the village? Not surprised. Most people have a tendency to warn newcomers about me. If you got the warning, then you should know to stay away. So if you don't mind-"

"You don't recognize me?"

"Um…should I?" she asked, raising a brow. She was starting to get slightly irritated. She really hated conversing with people and was in no mood to stick around.

"It's me…Phil. Uncle Phil! And Pegasus…you know him, too! I mean, if you're the Cassia I think you are…but you've got to be. I mean, you look just like…Holy Hera, what would they do if they knew you were here? If they knew you were alive?"

"Ok…you really are crazy…" she said, backing away a little slowly. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Again, you probably just heard my name from a bunch of the locals. You don't know me…I don't know you…so…I'm going to go this way…"

And with that, she turned right around and began walking off, Mia right by her side.

"Talk about crazy…" she whispered to the cat.

"Wait! You're…you have to be that Cassia because you…uh…strength! You have a lot of strength!"

Though having someone say that out loud irked her quite a bit, she simply shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand.

"Probably heard that from some random stranger, too."

"I didn't! Will you just wait! Holy jeeze are you stubborn. Just stay and listen to me! You shouldn't even be out on your own anyways. You're just a kid."

"Kid or not, who cares? Since you know me _so_ well, then you should know that with my strength I can handle my own. No need to worry about me goat boy. I'm a tough girl. I can tie my own sandals and everything."

…_Blink blink…_

"Yep. Definitely like your Mother. Looks _and _attitude."

This…those very words, made the girl finally stop in her tracks, her eyes widening slightly upon hearing it. Turning around slowly, she locked gazes with the other, finding herself extremely bothered by what he said.

"Excuse me?"

"Your Mother…Meg. You really do look just like her…similar facial features, same eyes, same hair…even the attitude. "

Hearing the words 'your Mother' really struck something in Cassi's heart, causing a mixture of yearning, sadness, anger, and many other emotions to flare in her chest. What was he talking about? She didn't have a Mother. She didn't have a family.

"Is this some sort of sick joke? Did the people here put you up to this? If you're saying these stupid things all because I took your money, then you're a real jerk. I know what people say about me here. I wouldn't be surprised if they put you up to this."

"No one put me up to this! I'm telling the truth, kid! Do you really not remember who you are? Daughter of Meg and Hercules? I mean, you have to know about Hercules at least. He's one of the most famous fighters out there."

Cassi didn't speak for a moment, her mind running a mile a minute. That name had rung a bell, but not enough for her to remember anything. Was this Phil really telling the truth? Did she really belong somewhere? Maybe she was wanted after all.

"_Or maybe not. Don't fall for this…come on Cassi…stay strong._"

"No…I don't…" she said lowly. "And I don't care to. I don't have a family nor do I want or need one. I am perfectly fine on my own."

"Cassi, you do have a family. A family that loves you very much. I mean, they were devastated in thinking you were dead. When that monster took you into the ocean and-"

"Wait, what?" she asked cutting him off.

"Well, it wasn't long after your sixth birthday and you and your parents were-"

"Forget the stupid details, what monster are you talking about? And what ocean?"

"A sea monster attacked you and your parents while you were sailing and you were taken under water by it. Your Dad tried to save you, but in the end, you couldn't be found. They thought you were dead…and the ocean…it's was the very ocean you are surrounded by."

At this, Cassi's heart stopped for a moment. She was washed up to shore from_ this_ ocean, but never knew how she got in it. The only thing she could remember was just being under the water and then nothing but darkness.

"How long ago was this?"

"About five years."

Yep. Even the time frame matched.

"If I am who you think I am, I got lost in _this_ ocean? This exact one? Are you sure about that? And I mean are you really sure?"

"Kid, I'm not lying. I know you have to be her. If you don't believe me, why don't you come with and see them yourself."

"Woah, hold on. You want me to come with you and see these people you claim to be my parents? You're kidding me, right?"

"Why would I be kidding? I want you to come."

"And what if I don't want to?"

"Seriously? Must you be this stubborn? Look, I can't make you come, but I really think you should. I mean, come on, from the way you were talking, it doesn't sound like you get along with anyone here very well. Do you really want to stay around this?"

Goat boy did have a point. The reason why she was stealing money was to get off the island anyways.

"And, your parents really miss you. If they knew you were alive, well…they would be more than just happy…and maybe if you go back, you might remember things and-"

"Wait, just…stop there, ok?"

"But they do miss you-"

"Just stop!" she snapped, rubbing the side of her head. Reaching down, she picked up Mia and held her tight. Her only sense of security. "I don't want to hear all this stupid stuff of them missing me and blah blah blah. I _really_ don't want to hear it. I just…give me a second here."

Her mind was still racing. It was a lot to process in a short time and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Should she go and face the possibility of a real family? Or should she stay on this island and disappear elsewhere. She really wasn't too sure if Phil was right or not, and she was even more unsure of meeting this Hercules and Meg. She would be better off on her own…

"Meow…"

She felt Mia nudge against her cheek and locked gazes with the cat. Mia's look was soft, and she could see encouragement in there, too. Her pet knew what needed to be done. And while Mia was nuzzling her cheek, she felt another nudge on her arm, turning to find Pegasus right next to her with the same encouraging look.

"Oh don't you give me a look either." She spat. "I'm not going for this great family reunion and all that mushy stuff. I just want to get off this damn island."

"So you'll come then?" Phil asked.

With a roll of her eyes and a grumble, she answered.

"I'll go. I'll play along with your little game for now, but as I said, I am only going along to get away from here…and to prove you wrong. I belong to no one. And once I prove you wrong, you'll leave me alone for good and let me go where I want to. Deal?"

Phil just rolled his eyes in return. He wanted Cassi to go along, but was she really going to be like this the whole trip?

"Yeah yeah." He muttered, holding out his hand. He knew he was right, but there was no point in arguing right now. "Deal."

Cassi eyed the held out hand and simply ignored it.

"Yeah, I don't shake. I don't touch anyone for that matter."

"Oy vey…fine, whatever, just go get your stuff."

"You're looking at it." She said back. Everything she owned, like a few spare pieces of clothing, a bit of food, and whatever money she stole, was all in her messenger bag. She didn't exactly own much being an orphan.

"Oh…well then let's go."

"But the boat already took off smart one."

"Um..hello? Winged Horse?"

"What, you mean you ride this thing?"

Pegasus snorted, taking slight offense in the comment.

"Oh jeeze, will you just get on? Thebes is a bit far off, so I want to leave now."

Cassi just rolled her eyes again and hopped on, Phil hopping on after. Mia climbed into Cassie's bag and poked her little head out.

"We good? Good., Then let's go."

And with that, Pegasus took off, taking Cassi away from the only home she knew. It was a little odd leaving, and to be honest, she was scared. Her past had been nothing but a secret from her for so long, and though part of her wanted to know, there was another part that feared what she might find. Did she have a real home? Did she have a family who cared? So many more unanswered questions and now her new companions were the key.


End file.
